Seal for electric wires.



0. WQ-NEAL, B. W. SHAW & Hr J. HOWARTH.

SEAL FOR ELECTRIC WIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16,1908.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

Duke. S EALbd 'vvw uaes:

,. electric wires such as are used for carrying- BURTON W. SHAW,'3.I1C1 HARRY J HowARrir,

UNITED STATES PATENT; cosmos.

Q RRI E W. NEAL, BURTON W. SHAW, AND HARRY J. HOWARTH, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

SEAL FOR ELECTRIC WIRES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ORRIE \V NEAL,

citizens of the United States of America,

' and residents of Portland, county of Cumberland, State of Maine,-have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seals for Electric Wires, of which the following is a specification. Our invention relates to a seal for seal- 111g andinsulating the bare end of insulated light and power current into houses and other buildings.

In conducting t-he business of supplying light and power to buildings the heavily insulated-wires are carried through the walls of the building to a point where they are to be connected to the fuse or switch. The

insulation is then removed from the ends of the'wires and connection is made by means of these bare ends. When the meter is taken out or the service discontinued connection may easily bemade by inserting fuses and connecting the wires where the meter was inserted and current taken without the knowledge of the company. There is also considerable danger in leaving live wire terminals in a building exposed to careless handling and numerous accidents have happened both to persons and property on this account.

The object of our invention is to provide a siniple and inexpensive means of protecting and sealing the bare ends of insulated wire terminals to prevent unauthorized use of current and danger from short circuiting.

The invention consists of an insulating casing made of two parts which are adapted to fit together to embrace the insulated portion of the wire and to form a space to inclose the bare end with a sealing device for sealing and fastening the two parts of the casing together.

In connection with our wire seal, 'we make use of a tag for the purpose of keeping a record of the unused services. As here shown the tag (Z with a coupon attached is the rivet may be cut off with a knife or removed in some other suitable manner.

A sealing device made as above may be cheaply manufactured and easily applied and will prevent the stealing of current and the danger which comes from exposed live wires.

The two parts of the casing may be sealed otherwise than by the sealing rivet herein i described the form of the sealingdevice being immaterial so long as the parts cannot' be separated without breaking the seal.

lVe illustrate our invention by a form of sealing device which we have found well adapted to the purpose although other forms may be used. I

In the drawing, Figure l is a view of one of the hollow shells constituting one of the halves of the casing showing the wire in place, Fig. 2 is a transverse section through Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is aln elevation of the seal with a recording tag fastened in place.

Referring to the drawing, B is the insulatedportion of the wire which insulation is removed for some distance back from the end leaving the bare wire I). w

The seal is made up as here shown of the two part casing made of suitable insulating material such asporcelain.

The casing is made of two similar halves or shells A adapted to fit together and as here shown, each is recessed to form when together, a cylindrical recess adapted to closely embrace the insulatedv portion of the wire with an enlarged shallow recess a of suitable size and formed to receive and contain the end of the wire 6 which is in the form of a loop as it is taken from its regular connection.-

The two halves of the casing A are secured together so that the casing cannot be separated without breaking the seal. As here shown I make use of a sealing rivet 0 made preferably of lead or other soft metal, this rivet passing transversely through the center of the recess rt and being protected from contact with the wire by a hub or boss a which projects inward from each shell. The sealing rivet is upset at 0 after the easing has been applied tothe wire and a suitable impression made on the head.

We claim 1. The herein described seal for the ends casing.

I 2. The herein described seal for the ends of insulated electric wires consistin of an recess to contain the bare end, a hub extendinsulatedcasing-in two partsadapte to embrace the insulated portion of the wire and to inclose' the bare end and a sealing rivet 10 passing through said casing to secure the two'parts together and insulated from said bare end.

The'herein described seal for the ends of insulated, electric wires consisting 0i a casing composed of two shells adapted to fit together and to embrace the insulated portion of the wire with "an enlarged shallow ingthrough said recess around which hub the bare end is bent and a sealing rivet pass-- 7 ing through said hub toseal and fasten the two parts together. I 4. The herein described seal for the ends of insulatedelectric wire consisting of a hollow casing'in two parts adapted to embrace the insulation of'the wire and to form a recess to receive the bare end, a sealingrivet passing through the two parts of said casing to seal and fasten them together and a tag through which the rivet passes and which is held a-gainstthe casing by-the head of said rivet. Q

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 12th day of August; 1908. ORRIE W. NEAL.

BURTON W. SHAW.

Witnesses: S. W. BATES,

. E. W. DENNIS;

- HARRY J. HOWARTH. 

